Wild Varieties Research Articles

Tomato Varieties Influence the Performance of Tamarixia triozae (Hymenoptera: Eulophidae) on Bactericera cockerelli (Hemiptera: Triozidae) Nymphs.

Simple SummaryHorticultural crops are often exposed to insect attacks, and insect vectors of plant diseases represent a significant agronomical challenge. The tomato psyllid is a principal vector for bacterial pathogens causing disease and economic losses in crops. In the present study, we evaluated the performance of the parasitoid (T. triozae) against tomato psyllid on tomato varieties. Our results showed that parasitoids selected one commercial variety of tomato plants and attacked the psyllid under greenhouse conditions. We also demonstrated that healthy plants of commercial variety attracted more natural enemies under laboratory conditions. Therefore, these results could help fine-tune the release of natural enemies in greenhouse and field crops.The potato/tomato psyllid Bactericera cockerelli is the Candidatus Liberibacter solanacearum bacterium vector that causes diseases in Solanaceae crops. Pest control is based on synthetic chemical insecticides, plant extracts, and natural enemies such as parasitoids. Tamarixia triozae feeds on nymphs of B. cockerelli, reaching up to 95% parasitism. This work aimed to evaluate the parasitic performance of T. triozae on tomato leaves with B. cockerelli N3 nymphs, using two domesticated (Floradade and Micro-Tom) and one Wild tomato variety. Several assays were completed to identify the parasitoid attraction toward un-infested plants (healthy) and infested plants (damaged) of three varieties. Parasitism preference and “Y” tube olfactometer tests were performed, respectively. The parasitism of Tamarixia triozae showed a preference toward plants of the Floradade variety by 44% compared with the other two varieties (p = 0.0003). T. triozae was more attracted to damaged plants of the Wild variety (p = 0.0523). Healthy plants of Floradade and Micro-Tom varieties attracted a higher proportion of parasitoids, except in the Wild variety, where T. triozae was more attracted to damaged plants. Taken together, the results of this study show that the domestication degree in tomato plants positively influenced the interactions between tomato plants and the parasitoid, T. triozae.

Development of Soft Rice Lines by Regulating Amylose Content via Editing the 5′UTR of the Wx Gene

The type of soft rice with low amylose content (AC) is more and more favored by consumers for its better eating and cooking quality, as people’s quality of life continuously improves in China. The Wx gene regulates the AC of rice grains, thus affecting the degree of softness of the rice. Mei Meng B (MMB), Tian Kang B (TKB), and DR462 are three indica rice maintained lines with good morphological characters, but also with undesirably high AC. Therefore, CRISPR/Cas9 technology was used to edit the Wx gene of these lines to create a batch of soft rice breeding materials. New gene-edited lines MMB-10-2, TKB-21-12, and DR462-9-9, derived from the above parental lines, respectively, were selected in the T2 generations, with an AC of 17.2%, 16.8%, and 17.8%, and gel consistency (GC) of 78.6 mm, 77.4 mm, and 79.6 mm, respectively. The rapid viscosity analysis (RVA) spectrum showed that the three edited lines had a better eating quality as compared to the corresponding wild type, and showing new characteristics, different from the high-quality soft rice popular in the market. There was no significant difference in the main agronomic traits in the three edited lines compared to the corresponding wild types. Moreover, the chalkiness of DR462-9-9 was reduced, resulting in an improved appearance of its polished rice. The present study created soft rice germplasms for breeding improved quality hybrid rice, without changing the excellent traits of their corresponding wild type varieties.

A process to enhance germination of a wild pennycress variety

Pennycress is an emerging oilseed crop, but some improved lines still exhibit seed dormancy that may impede germination and establishment. A laboratory study was conducted in 2021 to identify seed treatments to increase germination of a wild pennycress improved line ('MN106NS'). A randomised complete block experimental design was used with two replications and 12 seed treatments: untreated control; fludioxonil (50 μg ai per g of seed); gibberellic acid (GA) soak at 0.05 or 0.01% w/w for 12 hours; pelleting with diatomaceous earth and a commercial binder ± each prior component and a carnauba wax coating. For all treatments, uniformity and stability of pelleted treatments were tested, and germination over time (3 to 14 days at 20°C in dark) was quantified. There were consistent increase, in weight and size (142% in weight and 29% in size on average) of seeds with pelleting, and pelleting combination treatments did not vary in stability. Total germination increased compared to the control with all seed treatments, except the addition of fludioxonil alone. While all pelleting treatments improved total germination, the use of GA as a soak treatment or as an addition during seed pelleting was most effective to increase germination in MN106NS.

Bactris gasipaes Kunth var. gasipaes complete plastome and phylogenetic analysis

Bactris gasipaes var. gasipaes (Arecaceae, Palmae) is an economically and socially important plant species for populations across tropical South and Central America. It has been domesticated from its wild variety, B. gasipaes var. chichagui, since pre-Columbian times. In this study, we sequenced the plastome of the cultivated variety, B. gasipaes Kunth var. gasipaes and compared it with the published plastome of the wild variety. The chloroplast sequence obtained was 156,580 bp. The cultivated chloroplast sequence was conserved compared to the wild type sequence with 99.8% of nucleotide identity. We did, however, identify multiple Single Nucleotide Variants (SNVs), insertions, microsatellites and a resolved region of missing nucleotides. A SNV in one of the core barcode markers (matK) was detected between the wild and cultivated accessions. Phylogenetic analysis was carried out across the Arecaceae family and compared to previous reports, resulting in an identical topology. This study is a step forward in understanding the genome evolution of this species.

The challenge of urban food production and sustainable water use: Current situation and future perspectives of the urban agriculture in Brazil and Italy

• Tap water use in urban agriculture albeit climate change/urban water risk scenarios. • No studies addressed impacts of urban agriculture on public water supply systems. • Research need on urban agriculture policies and practices towards water security. • Fruit trees and wild edible plants are water-saving options. Urban agriculture (UA) initiatives have been increasing in recent years as a nature-based solution for achieving many of the 2030 UN Sustainable Development Goals. However, climate change is expected to have effects on rainfall patterns, which are likely to impact urban food production. The main aim of this paper is to evaluate how issues related to water sources for UA have been addressed in the scientific literature from two different socioeconomic and environmental realities, Brazil and Italy. The method involved a systematic literature review, considering the PRISMA guidelines. The Web of Science database and papers' reference lists were used for retrieving original articles, published in 2000–2020 interval, indexed on scientific databases, and containing data on the typology and quality of water sources used in UA studies. After applying the eligibility criteria, 191 papers were selected – Brazil (108) and Italy (83). The last five years have seen an intensification of studies into issues involving water. Tap water has been identified as an important source of irrigation water for UA, if not the main one. No studies were found that addressed the impact of UA on public water supply systems. The findings point towards more sustainable practices involving the reuse of water and adaptive practices towards water security. We identified that innovative production systems like container farming, aquaponics and indoor agriculture, as well as cultivation of fruit trees, wild edible plants and varieties with low water requirements can represent water-saving options.

PHYTOCHEMICAL SCREENING AND ANTIMICROBIAL ANALYSIS OF AQUEOUS EXTRACTS OF WILD MANGO VARIETIES

Phytochemical screening and antibacterial activity of aqueous extracts of bark and leaf of eighteen mango varieties growing in the village Hanavadi, Malavalli taluk, Mandya district, Karnataka state were conducted. They showed the presence of alkaloids, steroids, flavonoids, tannins, cardiac glycosides, saponnins, resins, carbohydrates and proteins. Antibacterial activity tested against six human pathogens- Escherichia coli, Enterobacter aerogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, Streptococcus mutans, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Bacillus subtilis, by disc diffusion method showed significant inhibition zone against pathogens compared to control. These results disclose the inhibiting property of leaf and bark of wild varieties of mangoes against potential pathogens and thus can be subjected to further investigations for their applications in human phytomedicines.

Phytochemical Analysis and Antimicrobial Activity of Mimordica Charantia Medicinal Plant Against Selected Common Human Pathogenic Microorganisms

Momordica charantia is a plant belonging to Cucurbitaceae family known for decades for its medicinal and nutritional value. The objective of the present study was to do qualitative evaluation and compare the antibacterial activity of M. charantia leaf, seeds and fruits. Results of our study showed that hybrid seed methanol extract had more active phytoconstituents like alkaloid, carbohydrate, saponin, proteins, resin, flavonoid, diterpens, reducing sugars than other extracts of fruit, leaf and seed of wild and hybrid varieties of M. charantia extracted using different solvents. Carbohydrate, phytosterol, and proteins are mostly present in all extracts of Mimordica charantia. Flavonoids are significantly present in seeds. So hybrid seed methanol extract can be considered as the main source of above mentioned phytochemicals to facilitate pharmaceutical industries. Methanol extracts of hybrid seed exhibited highest zone of inhibition against Salmonella paratyphi A (30±0.64mm) & Staphylococcus aureus (26±0mm) and chloroform extract of wild fruit showed highest activity against E.coli (22.5±0.64mm).Hence these extracts may be used to treat infectious diseases, surgical wounds, skin lesions, salmonellosis, enteric fever, food poisoning. The purpose of the current study was to investigate antimicrobial activity of M. charantia, apart from being used as anti-psoriatic drugs and this plant earlier have been used also as antibacterial agents, hence the activity was also carried out against other organisms such as Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Bacillus subtilis, Salmonella typhi and Aspergillus niger. Further phytochemical analysis (using techniques like TLC and HPLC) will be necessary to isolate the active constituents and clinical studies are required to understand the mechanism and the actual efficacy of these extracts in treating various infections and skin diseases. This will have significant importance in pharmaceutical and herbal industries.

Culturable Screening of Plant Growth-Promoting and Biocontrol Bacteria in the Rhizosphere and Phyllosphere of Wild Rice.

Wild rice is an important improved resource for cultivated rice and its unique ability to resist biotic and abiotic stress has attracted the attention of many scholars. The microbial community structure in the rhizosphere and leaf area of different rice varieties is also different, which may be one of the reasons for the difference in stress resistance between wild rice and cultivated rice. Forty-six bacteria were screened from the rhizosphere and phyllospheric of four different wild rice varieties. The results of functions of the screened strains showed that 18 strains had a good inhibitory effect on rice blast, and 33 strains had the ability to dissolve phosphorus, potassium, or fix nitrogen. Through potted experiment, the three bacterial strains, 499G2 (Peribacillus simplex), 499G3 (Bacillus velezensis), and 499G4 (B. megaterium) have a positive effect on the growth of cultivated rice in addition to the resistance to rice blast. The contents of total nitrogen, total phosphorus, total potassium, indole acetic acid (IAA), and chlorophyll in plant leaves were increased. In addition, in the verification test of rice blast infection, the application of inoculants can significantly reduce the content of malondialdehyde (MDA), increase the content of soluble sugar, and increase the activity of plant antioxidant enzymes, which may thereby improve rice in resisting to rice blast.

Genetic Pool of the Cultivated Pear Tree (Pyrus spp.) in the Canary Islands (Spain), Studied Using SSR Molecular Markers

The Canary Islands have an enormous richness of crops and varieties, many of them traditional or local, selected for decades by farmers based on the most desirable characteristics. Pear trees were introduced to the Canary Islands presumably in the first years after their Conquest in the 15th century, reaching a high degree of diversification. In this study, to determine the genetic identity of the genus Pyrus in the Canary Islands for conservation purposes, 266 pear accessions from the islands of Tenerife, La Palma and Gran Canaria were characterized with 18 SSRs, in addition to 190 genotypes from Galicia, Asturias, wild and commercial varieties as references to detect possible synonyms, genetic relationships and the possible genetic structure. We identified 310 unique genotypes, both diploid and putative triploid, 120 of them present only in the Canary Islands (39%, with 50% clonality). The population structure of the genotypes was analyzed by STRUCTURE 2.3.4 software (Pritchard Lab, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA). The dendrogram, by using the Jaccard coefficient and principal component analysis (PCoA), separated the analyzed genotypes into stable groups. One of these groups was formed only by Canarian varieties present at lower altitudes, showing adaptation to low chilling requirements with a significant positive correlation (0.432, p < 0.01). This first study of the pear germplasm in the Canary Islands reflects the importance of the group of local cultivars and their need for conservation given they are adapted to their peculiar climatic conditions and have a low number of chill units.

Validation of Antioxidant and Immune Related Gene Members among Apis cerana Species of South India by Quantitative Real-Time PCR

Apis cerana most widely found bee species of southern parts of India is now at stress. Due to the increasing bee cultivation centres, these bees are under tremendous stress levels from both external and internal agents. External agents might be due to constant application of miticides and other chemical compounds. Wild varieties which are in a free setup, though infected by Varroa mites, could face little pressure. We designed to study the effect of the habitat settings (natural and captive) on the bee species. Natural ones are those which are seen in forests, trees and other house roofs. Captive are those seen among the bee keeping centres. Antioxidant and immune related gene members were studied for their expression levels between the natural and captive environments. As hypothesized, we found significant effects on the expression of the gene members. Bees kept in captivity showed over expression of both antioxidant and immune related genes when compared to the natural bees. Ribosomal protein (RP4) was used as housekeeping gene throughout the study. Among them 2 members, CYP6AS3 and CYP6AS10 showed contradictory results. Their expression was little more in natural bees when compared to the captive bees. This study could pave ways of how to effectively manage the bees among the cultivated centres so as to get more yields, keeping in view of the colony collapse disorder. This validation studies could also throw knowledge on the actual mechanism involved in the stress regulation among this sweet little bees.

Sequence Characteristics and Phylogenetic Analysis of the Artemisia argyi Chloroplast Genome.

Artemisia argyi Levl. et Van is an important Asteraceae species with a high medicinal value. There are abundant A. argyi germplasm resources in Asia, especially in China, but the evolutionary relationships of these varieties and the systematic localization of A. argyi in the family Asteraceae are still unclear. In this study, the chloroplast (cp) genomes of 72 A. argyi varieties were systematically analyzed. The 72 varieties originated from 47 regions in China at different longitudes, latitudes and altitudes, and included both wild and cultivated varieties. The A. argyi cp genome was found to be ∼151 kb in size and to contain 114 genes, including 82 protein-coding, 28 tRNA, and 4 rRNA genes. The number of short sequence repeats (SSRs) in A. argyi cp genomes ranged from 35 to 42, and most of them were mononucleotide A/T repeats. A total of 196 polymorphic sites were detected in the cp genomes of the 72 varieties. Phylogenetic analysis demonstrated that the genetic relationship between A. argyi varieties had a weak relationship with their geographical distribution. Furthermore, inverted repeat (IR) boundaries of 10 Artemisia species were found to be significantly different. A sequence divergence analysis of Asteraceae cp genomes showed that the variable regions were mostly located in single-copy (SC) regions and that the coding regions were more conserved than the non-coding regions. A phylogenetic tree was constructed using 43 protein-coding genes common to 67 Asteraceae species. The resulting tree was consistent with the traditional classification system; Artemisia species were clustered into one group, and A. argyi was shown to be closely related to Artemisia lactiflora and Artemisia montana. In summary, this study systematically analyzed the cp genome characteristics of A. argyi and compared cp genomes of Asteraceae species. The results provide valuable information for the definitive identification of A. argyi varieties and for the understanding of the evolutionary relationships between Asteraceae species.

Improvement of Fruit Pubescence and Fruiting Pattern among Pure Lines and Landrace of Okra (Abelmoschus spp.) through Interspecific Hybridization

The research study was aimed at improving fruit pubescence and growth pattern in the highly mucilaginous but very spiny local and wild okra variety - ‘Ele Ogwu’ through generic hybridization with selected glabrous conventional and early maturing varieties at the Research Farm of the Department of Crop Science, University of Nigeria, Nsukka. The hybrid seeds generated from their diallel crosses were selfed to generate the F2 seeds. Backcrosses (BC1 and BC2) were also made to the much improved and glabrous varieties. The parents, F1, F2 and BC genotypes were sown in an experimental field in a randomized complete block design and organoleptic assessment was done at harvest. The F2 hybrids from the crosses, ‘UHIE x CLM’ and ‘AGW x CLM’, yielded some smooth fruits; although most of the hybrids generated, exhibited intermediate smoothness, except for ‘OGW x UHIE’ and ‘OGW x LD88’ that exhibited high degree of spineness. Most of the F2 hybrids generated exhibited intermediate growth and fruiting pattern, except for ‘OGW x UHIE’ which showed indeterminate pattern. The Chi-square statistics for the F2 showed that fruit pubescence for the highly spiny landrace and the more glabrous improved ones was monogenically controlled with incomplete dominance, while growth pattern were polygenically controlled. The successful backcrosses obtained showed reduction in the proportion of fruits spininess and increased fruit determinate growth pattern. This hereby indicates the prospect of obtaining okra plants with glabrous, highly appealing and determinate growth pattern with early maturity from the local, wild spiny but mucilaginous, nutritious and high yielding local varieties through sustained hybridization programme.

A study of antibacterial action of honey against bacteria isolated from wound infection: An in-vitro study

As a consequence of overuse and misuse of antibiotics along with the intrinsic and acquired resistance of bacteria has given rise to multi drug resistant strains. This problem can be overcome by using naturally occurring products which have antibacterial effects. The aim of the study was to evaluate the antimicrobial activity of honey against bacteria isolated from wound infections and to compare the antimicrobial efficacy of different varieties of honey.Prospective observational study was conducted for a period of two months. A total number of 49 bacterial isolates from clinically infected wounds were tested against the antimicrobial activity of honey on 43 bacteria isolated from wound infections. Four varieties of honey were used to test the bacteria.our kinds of honey samples. Wild variety (Apisdorsata) and Wild variety (Apisflorea) had good antibacterial activity against both gram positive and gram negative bacteria compared to Culture variety (Apiscerana) and Commercial honey (Dabur) which showed poor activity. Different honeys showed diverse susceptibility patterns against the tested multi drug resistant bacteria.

Comparative Analysis of the Mitochondrial DNA of Wild Varieties and Domesticated Pleurotus citrinopileatus

In this study, the mitochondrial DNA of wild and domesticated Pleurotus citrinopileatus varieties were sequenced, assembled, and compared. The three mitochondrial DNA of 4681-0, 4681-1, and 4681-2 comprised circular DNA molecules, with the size of 60,331 bp, 60,661 bp and 60,661 bp, respectively. All mitochondrial DNA of the three contained 2 ribosomal RNA genes (rRNAs) and 24 transfer RNA genes (tRNAs). Both 4681-1 and 4681-2 had 17 standard protein-encoding genes, which was higher than 4681-0. Both 4681-0 and 4681-2 had 7 open reading frames, which was less than 4681-1. Among mitochondrial DNA of three varieties, we found gene and intron gain/loss events. By performing a comparative analysis of mitochondrial DNA of three varieties, we identifi ed gene rearrangements between 4681-0, 4681-1 and 4681-2. Predictions of the single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) and RNA editing sites of mitochondrial DNA of three varieties, revealed a feasibility of molecular labeling and gene editing at the mRNA level of P. citrinopileatus. We proposed that mitochondrial DNA, which plays an important role in biological oxidation, is changed to adapt different environments during the domestication of wild species of P. citrinopileatus. We promit an evolutionary strategie of domestication of P. citrinopileatus, aiming to provide some molecular-level theoretical foundations for factory cultivation and genetic breeding of P. citrinopileatus.

Preliminary phytochemical screening and various phytoconstituent of leaves extract of Rhynchoglossum notonianum wall

This plant belongs to the Gesneriaceae family. Rhynchoglossum notonianum Wall. wild and developed varieties may be found across the country. The locals call it "kundru." All parts of the plant are historically used to treat different ailments. In Indian folk medicine, the leaves of this plant are used to cure a variety of diseases, including diabetes, wounds, ulcers, inflammation, skin eruptions, fever, asthma, and coughing coughs. They are also used to treat diabetes. Ethanolic extracts were subjected to a qualitative phytochemical screening to investigate the scientific foundation of ethnomedicinal potential. Many phytochemicals, such as glycosides, steroids, flavanoids, tannins, saponins, and terpenoids, were found in different extracts, and this study validated their existence. Wild edible leafy plants with greater phenolic and flavonoid content were found to be major antioxidant sources in this research, according to the evaluation of phytoconstituent. Rhynchoglossum notonianum Wall. was shown to be a rich source of many medicinally significant phytochemicals, which supports its usage as a remedy. Isolation and identification of medicinally useful active biochemical compounds may be accomplished by further investigation of this method.

Functional studies of rice blast resistance related gene<italic> OsSAMS1</italic>

<p id="C3">Rice blast is one of the most devastating diseases in rice, which causes great economic losses to agricultural production. It has been reported that <italic>S-Adenosyl-l-Mmethionine Synthetase</italic> 1 (<italic>OsSAMS1</italic>) is involved in the process of senescence in rice. Transcriptome sequencing analysis showed that the relative expression level of<italic> OsSAMS1</italic> was significantly increased after inoculation with <italic>Magnaporthe oryzae </italic>(<italic>M. oryzae</italic>). However, it remains unclear whether <italic>OsSAMS1</italic> is involved in rice immunity. To verify this, we constructed the knock-out mutants of <italic>OsSAMS1</italic> in the wild type variety ZH11. The results showed that <italic>OsSAMS1</italic> was mainly expressed in rice leaves, and its expression was significantly induced by <italic>M. oryzae</italic> inoculation. Subcellular localization revealed that OsSAMS1 was distributed in the plasma membrane, cytoplasm, and nucleus. Compared to the wild type, the two knockout mutants, <italic>ossams1-1</italic> and <italic>ossams1-2</italic>, displayed enhanced susceptibility upon <italic>M. oryzae</italic> infection, and the expression of pathogenesis-related (<italic>PR</italic>) genes was significantly inhibited. In addition, ethylene synthesis-related genes were also dramatically decreased in both two mutants. These results suggested that <italic>OsSAMS1</italic> was involved in rice immune response and positively regulated rice blast resistance, which lays a foundation for further revealing the molecular mechanism of <italic>OsSAMS1</italic> in plant immunity and provides genetic resources for rice breeding of blast resistance.

वेदों में कृषि-विज्ञान: अथर्ववेद-संहिता के विशेष सन्दर्भ में

Some modern scholars opine that ancient Indian people did not attach much importance to the economic progress in life. This view seems to be incorrect when we go through the several references of Vedic literature. According to the Vedic approach, Artha (money) is as important as any other thing in life. In Vedas, there are many prayers for the prosperity and welfare of the society. The agriculture, animal husbandry, trade and other economic resources extant in the country at that time were properly developed for economic growth. This paper discusses development of agriculture including cultivation of crops. In Vedas, sufficient literary evidences are mentioned for availability of irrigation systems, use of manure, clearing of forests, ploughing of fields, and sowing of seeds. Earth was identified as forest and field. Farmer was known as the Lord or controller of plough (hala). By the end of Rigvedic period all the agricultural processes were known to Aryans. Siira, laangala, phala, ashtraa, vaaha etc. terms are used in the Atharvaveda (AV) for the related equipments of agriculture. The AV mentions ploughing of fields by six or twelve oxen. It states that canals were dug for irrigation besides natural resources such as rivers, wells etc. In times of famines, people suffered a lot. Two crops were cultivated every year. In the AV, there is mention of barley (yava), rice (vriihi), sesame, a type of pulse (maasha), sugarcane (iikshu) and some wild varieties of rice. The protection of crops from insects, and certain types of birds is considered in some hymns. It appears from this study that the Vedic agriculture was not much different from the current traditional agriculture practices seen in rural areas of India

Characterization of Bolivian chili peppers; antioxidant capacity, total phenolic compounds, capsaicin and β-carotene concentration

Purpose Chili pepper pods are a worldwide used and cultivated spice with a high economic and cultural importance. Bolivia is a center of origin and diversification of important crops including wild pepper varieties, but little is known about the chemical composition, antioxidant activity and the Scoville and bioactive compounds of these chili peppers. The purpose of this study was to contribute with new data about the chemical composition and the Scoville scale of Bolivian Chili peppers. Design/methodology/approach A total of 26 samples of Bolivian Chili peppers were extracted using distilled water and methanol. Total antioxidant capacity was determined by the ferric-reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) and by the 2,2'-azino-bis(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (ABTS) methods. The total phenolic content was determined by Folin and Ciocalteu. Carotene, protein and ashes were determined by Bolivian analytical norms. Capsaicin was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography. All determinations were expressed as mean values± standard deviation of six replicates measured over three days of one extract. All values were less than 5% of coefficient of variation. Principal component analysis was applied to reveal patterns in the data. PC1 and PC2 together explained 78% of the total variance. Findings The protein content (3.8–6.3 g/100 g of dw) and the antioxidant activity (88.2 to 374 by FRAP and 87.0 to 172 evaluated by ABTS) studied in these species revealed that the values were above the average reported in the literature. The amount of pungency or capsaicin content expressed as Scoville Heat Units were reported moderately highly and very highly pungent (5,696–148,800 g dw) in several of the Bolivian peppers which demonstrates a good potential for capsaicin extraction and different applications for industry and as food ingredients. Originality/value This manuscript presents an important and novel contribution to the knowledge of the chili peppers in the region.

Genetic Diversity of Wild and Cultivated Muscadine Grapes (Vitis rotundifolia Michx.).

The muscadine (Vitis rotundifolia syn. Muscadinia rotundifolia) is an American grape species native to the southeastern United States that has been cultivated for centuries. Muscadines are one of three grape species in subgenus Muscadinia with a chromosome number of 2n = 40 (V. rotundifolia, Vitis munsoniana, and Vitis popenoei), making them genetically distinct from the European wine and table grape (Vitis vinifera) and other species in subgenus Euvitis. Crop improvement efforts have been continuous since the late 19th century, yet the germplasm that served as the foundation for early muscadine breeding efforts was sourced from a relatively small portion of their native range, mostly in the coastal plains of North Carolina. This study used the rhAmpSeq Vitis core panel haplotype markers to genotype 194 Muscadinia accessions from five cultivated populations and 15 wild populations collected across their native range. Wild populations from the western half of the native range were generally less genetically differentiated than hypothesized, but were genetically distinct from the material used in both past and present breeding efforts. One population collected from coastal North Carolina grouped closely with V. munsoniana accessions despite being well outside the reported range for that species. Principal coordinate and structure analyses revealed three main groups within the 194 accessions: one for cultivated material, one for wild V. rotundifolia, and one for V. munsoniana and V. popenoei. At K = 5, structure results showed that more recent muscadine cultivars are further differentiated from wild accessions and varieties. These analyses confirmed our hypothesis that muscadine cultivars are genetically differentiated from their wild counterparts. This study also showed that genetic diversity in V. rotundifolia is not equally distributed across its native range and that the limited number of genotypes used in crop improvement efforts has not fully utilized the genetic diversity within the species.

Total and chloroplast proteins of the leaves of cultivated, population and wild sunflower varieties cultivated under thermic stress

Sunflower (Helianthus annus L) cultivation is affected by periods of severe drought that affect the growth and yield of sunflower crops. Wild sunflower species have brought many agronomically important traits to cultivated sunflower by quickly allowing them to undergo biotic and abiotic changes in their environment. Plants have developed several mechanisms that would enable them to tolerate high temperatures related to thermotolerance at the biochemical and metabolic levels. The present study aimed to highlight the variability of total and chloroplast proteins extracted from the wild and populations of sunflower leaves grown under different thermal stresses. The total proteins extracted from controlled and thermic stress leaves, characterized by SDS page were similar except polypeptides of molecular weight (MW) 42 kDa, 35 kDa, 31 kDa and 13.5 kDa which showed variability of sunflower varieties studied. Under thermic stress, the MW of chloroplast proteins was similar in the H petiolaris fallax and H praecox runyonni varieties. The protein markers of wild sunflower species revealed in response to thermal stresses contribute to the improvement of sunflowers in the face of environmental challenges.